Railroad News

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam yesterday announced passenger-rail service in the state will be honored this month.

On Oct. 1, 2009, Virginia launched the inaugural daily round-trip from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional route. 

Next month, Central Florida commuter railroad SunRail will begin tracking fare evasion through its SunCard fare cards, railroad officials announced this week.

SunRail riders are expected to tap their fare cards on a card reader every time they board or get off a train. Some riders are skipping a tap or riding beyond their purchased zone fare, agency officials said in a press release. 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) last week implemented several short-term solutions to add train capacity on the Expo Line.

To address overcrowding, the agency has added two westbound trains and two eastbound trains to the line during the morning and evening times, and added a third train to the line’s fleet.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday released a preliminary report of its investigation into a fatal rail accident involving the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) in July.

The incident occurred July 8, while two SEPTA workers were inspecting track and making light repairs in Philadelphia. A southbound train was operating on one track, just north of the workers, who were working on an interlocking between two tracks.

CN yesterday rolled out its 2019-20 winter plan, which explains how the Class I expects to serve its customers during extreme operating conditions.

CN's investments in infrastructure and equipment have increased the resiliency of its network, as well as the railroad's ability to recover during extreme operating conditions, CN officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit yesterday closed sections of the Elizabeth Station on the Northeast corridor in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and announced it will begin platform extension construction at the station later this fall. 

In addition to building a longer platform to accommodate 12-car trains, the $71 million station modernization project calls for constructing new station buildings, improving access per the Americans with Disabilities Act and upgrading security and communications systems, NJ Transit officials said in a press release.

The Bi-State Development (BSD) board last week completed a bond refinancing to generate $49.1 million in debt savings and announced it will use nearly $20 million of those savings to fund Metro Transit-St. Louis infrastructure and security improvements. 

Although specific projects to be funded are still being determined, projects under consideration include security camera upgrades and reconfiguration of MetroLink stations to limit points of customer access in order to improve passenger monitoring and fare violation enforcement, BSD officials said in a press release. 

Metra officials yesterday joined federal, state and local officials to mark the upcoming construction of a new station that will serve Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood. 

Metra originally planned to fund the Auburn Park Station with its share of proceeds from two Illinois state bond programs from 2009. However, that funding was held up in the state’s budget woes and then cut in 2017. Now, funding for the station has been restored in recent state budgets, and the state has released $20 million for Auburn Park, Metra officials said in a press release.

The Georgia Central Railway has upgraded its entire 211-mile line between Macon and Savannah to handle 286,000-pound rail cars, the short line announced today.

The upgrade was necessary to match the capacity of connecting national railroads and increase the short line’s competitiveness, Georgia Central officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) board last week approved $5 billion in additional capital spending, including funding for rail projects.

In its biennial reassessment of its 2017-2026 capital plan, the board approved funding for a new AirTrain shuttle to Newark Liberty International Airport, additional spending for AirTrain LaGuardia and the addition of three new projects, including a Port Authority-Trans Hudson (PATH) improvement plan.

Indiana Rail Road Co., the Association of American Railroads and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association have asked a federal judge to stop Illinois from enforcing a new law that requires a minimum of two crew members on trains.

In a lawsuit filed in Chicago federal court yesterday against the Illinois Commerce Commission, the railroad and associations argue that federal regulations preempt the crew-size law that Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed in August. The law is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) on Oct. 1 will mark 50 years of service. 

Since TriMet's creation in 1969, the system has expanded from a bus system to include the Westside Express Service commuter rail, five MAX light-rail lines and 86 bus lines, agency officials said in a press release.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) last week announced it was honored with the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award from the National Procurement Institute Inc. (NPI) for the 13th year. 

The AEP award is given annually to public and nonprofit organizations that demonstrate innovation, professionalism, productivity and leadership in procurement functions. Recipients are scored based on standardized criteria, SFRTA officials said in a press release. 

Sound Transit last week released a draft service plan for 2020, which outlines significant service disruption for the Link light-rail system in the first quarter of the year. 

For 10 weeks between January and March, parts of International District/Chinatown Station will close so crews can build rail connections that will allow the East Link extension to serve downtown Seattle and beyond, according to the service plan.